Catherine Machalaba

“Many of the leading drivers of emerging infectious diseases, such as deforestation, natural resource extraction, and agricultural expansion, are causing wide-scale biodiversity loss and ecological degradation, which in turn have other serious consequences for public health. Faced with the impacts of these drivers, the health and environment communities are constantly responding to pressures outside of their control. I am excited to work at EcoHealth Alliance to shape more preventive solutions with a range of sectors. Scientists, governments, industry, consumers, multilateral organizations – we all have a meaningful role to play in sustainable development that promotes the health of our environment and our own species.”

Scientists Bio

Catherine Machalaba is a policy advisor at EcoHealth Alliance. She supports the organization’s efforts to operationalize One Health approaches for more coordinated and preventive systems that promote human, animal, and environmental health given their integral links. As part of the USAID Emerging Pandemic Threats PREDICT-2 project, she is currently analyzing the effectiveness of One Health policies and practices. Catherine manages the Future Earth oneHEALTH project, which seeks to understand the health implications of current and anticipated global environmental change to identify healthy and sustainable solutions. She works closely on One Health initiatives with the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), as well as the World Bank.

Catherine is the Program Officer for the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Wildlife Health Specialist Group and is a member of the IUCN SSC Policy Subcommittee. She also serves as Chair of the American Public Health Association Veterinary Public Health Special Primary Interest Group.

She has a strong interest in public health systems strengthening toward more preventive and integrated approaches. Prior to joining EcoHealth Alliance, Catherine conducted a fellowship in healthcare systems engineering, interned with the Vermont Attorney General on tobacco control policy, and worked in a public health department on West Nile virus and Lyme disease surveillance and outreach. She holds a degree in biology from Wake Forest University, a Masters in Public Health from Dartmouth, and is currently a doctoral student in environmental and occupational health at City University of New York.